Virginia Beach, Va. - Virginia Beach City Public Schools administrators are considering making some changes to the guidelines for homework, late work and the use of zeros in grading.
A Fair and Equitable Grading Practices Committee consisting of teachers, administrators, parents, students and community members has been set up to work on standardizing the current grading policies for middle and high schools. Elementary schools currently use a standards-based grading, which is not being explored at the secondary level.
“Looking across our division, we could see some inconsistencies in grading practices from school to school and we felt like teachers, parents and students were asking important and interesting questions about those practices,” said VBCPS Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence. “We want to ensure that we, as educators, are using the assessments and practices that give us the greatest insight into the current understanding and capabilities of each child. This committee has been reviewing the latest research as well as getting insight from our staff in order to lead the conversation on how best to do just that.”
VBCPS will be holding a Fair and Equitable Grading Practices Community Forum on Thursday, November 5th so they can receive feedback from the community on the potential changes.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Thomas Guskey, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Kentucky, who will provide a presentation on grading practices.
The committee will present its findings to the School Board this spring, with changes to the grading guidelines made in time for the 2016-17 school year.
